Ahead of today’s Overwatch Spotlight 2026 event, I flew to Blizzard’s headquarters to go hands-on with all of the updates and additional content coming in the first season of Reign of Talon, a year-long story arc that kicks off on February 10. Overwatch 2, which Blizzard is officially renaming to Overwatch alongside the update, finally feels fresh again thanks to the five new heroes launching alongside Season 1. Additionally, the first-person shooter’s new sub-roles help to further distinguish its Tank, Damage, and Support heroes with new passive buffs that better align with their specific playstyle and class identity.
The team is getting better and faster at creating heroes, multiple developers told me, enabling them to commit to launching 10 heroes in 2026. Players can expect one new hero to launch with each Reign of Talon season, each introducing other game updates like character reworks, new maps, and quality of life changes.
We’ve detailed each new character below, along with the new sub-role passives further down.
We Played Overwatch’s Five New Heroes:
Domina (Tank)
Heiress and vice president of Vishkar Industries, Domina is a zone control tank who uses a variety of medium and long-range abilities to poke enemies from afar. One of her major perks allows her to use her Sonic Repulsors to push enemies into her own shield wall, stunning them and dealing 100% increased damage.
Primary Fire: Photon Magnum – Medium-range beam that culminates in a high-impact shot
Barrier Array – A segmented hard-light barrier deployed in front of Domina. Each segment must be individually destroyed, creating dynamic defensive angles
Crystal Charge – Project an explosive crystal and reactivate to detonate it
Sonic Repulsors – Push enemies back, stunning them if they hit a wall
Ultimate: Panopticon – Fire a hard-light projectile that imprisons enemies and detonates on expiration
Passive: Reconstruction – Dealing damage with abilities restores shields
Emre (Damage)
Once the Overwatch program’s gold standard, Emre is a conflicted sharpshooter currently serving Talon. His cyber frag explodes after bouncing, allowing Emre to propel himself to higher ledges.
Primary Fire: Synthetic Burst Rifle – Three-round burst weapon
Secondary Fire: Take Aim – Hold to zoom in, tightening accuracy and increasing fall off range
Siphon Blaster – Temporarily wield a semi-auto pistol with life-stealing explosive rounds. Move faster and jump higher while wielded
Cyber Frag – Throw a grenade that detonates shortly after bouncing
Ultimate: Override Protocol – An override initiates, transforming you into a living weapon. Fires rapid, explosive blasts or charged mega-shots capable of wiping out teams
Passive: Altered Vitals – Passive health regeneration activates sooner and instantly restores 30 health when activated
Anran (Damage)
My favorite damage character of the bunch, Anran is the older sister of Wuyang and is a potent burst character. Her ultimate can be used dead or alive, and helps to quickly set enemies on fire alongside her fiery fans that ignite enemies and stoke the fires with ample oxygen.
Primary Fire: Zhuque Fans – Hand fans that shoot fiery projectiles
Secondary Fire: Fan the Flames – Hot wind blast that amplifies burning damage
Inferno Rush – Propel yourself forward and damage enemies you impact
Dancing Blaze – Strike nearby enemies while dodging all damage
Ultimate (Alive): Vermillion Ascent – Charge forward, exploding on impact and instantly igniting enemies
Ultimate (Dead): Vermillion Revival – Revive yourself in a fiery explosion
Passive: Ignition – Hit enemies with fire attacks to burn them
Mizuki (Support)
This young ninja specializes in locking down enemies, deflecting bullets with his ultimate, and healing allies with his traditional Japanese hat called a Kasa. Mizuki can return to a previous location by marking it with a paper doll. Importantly, Mizuki’s healing aura must be maintained by continuously dealing damage and healing allies, requiring players to stay on the front line.
Primary Fire: Spirit Glaive – Throw a spinning blade that can bounce off walls, impacting enemies, and deals damage
Healing Kasa – Throw your hat to heal an ally, bouncing to nearby allies and healing you when it returns
Katashiro Return – Leap forward, leaving behind a paper doll. Reactivate to return and gain increased movement speed while active
Binding Chain – Launch a tethering chain that hinders the first enemy hit
Ultimate: Kekkai Sanctuary – Create a sanctuary that heals allies and absorbs enemy projectiles from outside the area
Passive: Remedy Aura – Heals nearby allies. Healing scales with a resource generated by dealing damage and healing
Jetpack Cat (Support)
The long-teased Jetpack Cat is finally real. Her ability to tow allies and enemies makes for a ton of clever plays, and her major perk allows her to knock enemies back if she flies fast enough into them.
Primary Fire: Bionic Pawjectiles – Mid-range projectile spread that heals allies and damages enemies
Lifeline – Toggle into transport mode, allowing an ally to be towed, increases movement speed, and heals your ally
Frenetic Flight – Accelerate in your movement direction. Fuel recovery is slower while carrying another player
Purr – Pulsing area heal that increases in frequency over time. Knockback nearby enemies when activated
Ultimate: Catnapper – Dive towards a ground location, knocking down enemies and tethering the nearest one to you
Passive: Jetpack – Permanent flight
New Sub-Roles and Passives:
Tank
Bruiser: Reduces critical damage received. While at critical health, gain movement speed
- Roadhog, Zarya, Orisa, Mauga
Initiator: Staying airborne lightly heals you
- D.Va, Winston, Doomfist, Wrecking Ball
Stalwart: Reduces knockbacks and slows received
- Reinhardt, Sigma, Ramattra, Junker Queen, Hazard, Domina
Damage
Sharpshooter: Critical hits reduce ability cooldowns
- Hanzo, Widowmaker, Cassidy, Ashe, Sojourn
Flanker: Health packs restore more health
- Tracer, Reaper, Genji, Vendetta, Venture, Anran
Specialist: Eliminating an enemy briefly increases reload speed
- Bastion, Junkrat, Mei, Soldier 76, Symmetra, Torbjorn, Emre
Recon: Detect enemies below half health through walls after damaging them
- Pharah, Sombra, Echo, Freja
Support
Tactician: Gain excess ultimate charge that carries over after using your ultimate
- Lucio, Zenyatta, Ana, Baptiste, Jetpack Cat
Medic: Healing allies with your weapon also heals you
- Mercy, Moira, Kiriko, Lifeweaver
Survivor: Using a movement ability activates passive health regeneration
- Brigitte, Illari, Juno, Wuyang, Mizuki